Getting Started

Install VoxInk, grant permissions, and dictate your first text in under five minutes.

System Requirements

VoxInk runs locally on your Mac and uses Apple Silicon hardware acceleration for fast, private transcription. Before installing, make sure your system meets these requirements:

  • macOS 13 (Ventura) or later — VoxInk uses system APIs introduced in Ventura. Sonoma and Sequoia are fully supported.
  • Apple Silicon — Any M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip (including Pro, Max, and Ultra variants). Intel Macs are not supported because local Whisper transcription relies on the Apple Neural Engine and Metal GPU acceleration.
  • At least 2 GB free disk space — The app itself is small, but the local Whisper AI models range from 75 MB to 3 GB depending on which model you choose.
  • A microphone — The built-in mic on any MacBook works fine. For best results in noisy environments, use an external USB or Bluetooth microphone.
Windows Support
Windows 11 (x64) support is coming soon. Join the mailing list at voxink.app to be notified when the Windows version launches.

Download & Install

VoxInk is distributed as a standard macOS DMG file. The entire installation takes about a minute.

  1. Download the installer

    Go to voxink.app/download or click the Download button in the site header. The DMG file is approximately 323 MB.

  2. Open the DMG

    Double-click the downloaded .dmg file. A Finder window will open showing the VoxInk app icon and your Applications folder.

  3. Drag to Applications

    Drag the Vox Ink icon onto the Applications folder shortcut. This copies VoxInk to your Applications directory.

  4. Launch VoxInk

    Open your Applications folder and double-click Vox Ink. On first launch, macOS may show a security dialog — click Open to confirm. VoxInk will appear as a small pen icon in your menu bar (top-right corner, near the clock and Wi-Fi icons).

Tip
VoxInk is a menu bar app — it does not open a window. Look for the pen icon in your menu bar after launching. If you don't see it, check behind the notch area or try holding ⌘ and dragging other menu bar icons to make room.

Grant Permissions

macOS requires you to grant three permissions before VoxInk can work. VoxInk will prompt you for each one on first launch, but you can also grant them manually at any time.

Accessibility (required)

VoxInk needs Accessibility permission to detect your hotkey globally — regardless of which app is in the foreground — and to paste transcribed text into the active application.

  1. When prompted, click "Open System Settings" (or navigate manually to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility).
  2. Find Vox Ink in the list.
  3. Toggle it ON.
  4. If asked, authenticate with your password or Touch ID.

Input Monitoring (required)

Input Monitoring allows VoxInk to receive keyboard events system-wide, which is how it knows when you press and release the hotkey.

  1. Navigate to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring.
  2. Find Vox Ink in the list.
  3. Toggle it ON.

Microphone (required)

Microphone access allows VoxInk to record audio when you hold the dictation hotkey.

  1. The first time you try to record, macOS will display a system dialog asking for microphone permission.
  2. Click "Allow".

If you accidentally denied the permission, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and toggle Vox Ink ON.

Permissions Required
If any of these permissions are not granted, VoxInk won't be able to detect your hotkey or record audio. You can grant them at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security. After changing permissions, you may need to restart VoxInk (click the menu bar icon → Restart).

Your First Dictation

With permissions granted, you're ready to dictate. The whole process is push-to-talk: hold a key, speak, release, and your words appear as text.

  1. Check VoxInk is running

    Click the VoxInk pen icon in your menu bar. You should see the status line showing "Idle". This means VoxInk is ready.

  2. Open any text field

    Switch to any app where you can type — Notes, TextEdit, a browser text box, a search bar, a code editor, an email draft — anywhere you'd normally use your keyboard.

  3. Place your cursor

    Click exactly where you want your transcribed text to appear.

  4. Hold the hotkey and speak

    Press and hold the Left Option (⌥) key. You'll see the menu bar icon change to indicate recording. Speak naturally at your normal pace. You don't need to speak slowly or enunciate — Whisper is trained on natural speech.

  5. Release to transcribe

    When you're done speaking, release the ⌥ key. VoxInk will process the audio (you'll see "Transcribing..." briefly) and then paste the text at your cursor position.

Tip
The default hotkey is Left Option (⌥). If you prefer a different key, you can change it in the menu bar under Hotkey. You can also enable Double-Tap to Lock mode for hands-free recording during longer dictation sessions.

What's Next

You've got the basics down. Here are some ways to get more out of VoxInk:

  • Menu Bar Guide — Learn about every option and control available in the VoxInk menu.
  • Transcription Setup — Switch between local and cloud transcription, configure model sizes, or connect your own server.
  • Text Cleanup & AI — Enable AI-powered post-processing to fix grammar, rephrase text, or apply custom formatting.
  • Templates & Lock Mode — Create reusable output formats and use Lock Mode for longer hands-free dictation sessions.
  • Privacy & Redaction — Understand how VoxInk handles your audio and text data.
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